Tag Archives: Classic

Call Me Shirley – Shirley Mk II

In 1957 Monkspark Garage of Shirley, Solihull just outside Birmingham started to manufacture 2 and 4 seater fibre glass body shells known as Kenmar Mk I suitable for fitting to Ford Anglia and Ford Prefect chassis respectively.

Shirely MKII, Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Two years later a Mk II body was manufactured and marketed as the Shirley Mk II which cost just £89 with an additional £35 for the optional hard top.

Shirely MKII, Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham

The main body is a one piece molding with a reinforcing tubular framework and welded mounting points and the bonnet could be front or rear hinged to taste.

Shirely MKII, Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham

The shell for this particular vehicle was purchased in January 1997 and fitted to a 1949 Ford Anglia chassis and was ready to run in April 1998. This car has several period improvements including a boxed chassis, fluid cushion suspension, Aquaplane cylinder head, twin carburetors and an additional fuel pump along with 12 volt electrics.

Shirely MKII, Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham

Of the 50 shells thought to have been built only 4 Shirley Mk II’s are thought to remain.

Active Suspension – Lotus Ford T92 92/5

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For 1983 the Formula One regulations changed mandating flat bottoms between the front and rear axles, the intention was to outlaw ground effects which Lotus had successfully pioneered with it’s Lotus 79 and less successfully with it’s Lotus 80, 86 and 88 models, all the other teams on the Grand Prix grid had followed the Lotus teams lead with the result that cars were driving around corners so fast they were making the tracks they were driven on obsolete in terms of safety.

Lotus Ford 92, Goodwood FoS

Lotus managed to secure a supply of Renault Tubocharged V6 engines, for 1983, to replace the Ford Cosworth V8’s that the team had been using since the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix. These Renault motors were more powerful but also more fragile than the Cosworth’s, they were also in extremely short supply with Renault being able to supply only enough to keep Elio de Angelis on the grid for the first half of the 1983 season in a Lotus Renault Type 93T. Team mate Nigel Mansell had to make do with an interim the Ford Cosworth powered Lotus 92 featured today for the first half of 1983.

Lotus Ford 92, Silverstone Classic

The Lotus Renault 92 was devised by Colin Chapman and Martin Ogilvie, however Colin Chapman died in December 1982 and so never saw the car completed, 2 Type 92’s were built using the chassis tubs of the previous Lotus Type 91 featured last week. As well as being the last Ford Cosworth DFV powered Lotus design the Lotus 92 was also the first Formula One car to be fitted with computer managed hydraulic ‘active’ suspension. Nigel Mansell tested the system but did not like it so the idea was shelved pending further development. In 1992 Nigel won his only world championship with Williams in an actively suspended car.

Lotus Ford 92, Silverstone Classic

Perhaps unsurprisingly without their energetic leader Lotus floundered in 1983 the Renault powered Lotus 93T recorded a best 9th place with Elio at the wheel and Nigel managed a best 6th place finish at the 1983 Detroit Grand Prix in the Cosworth powered Lotus 92. A decision was taken in June 1983 to employ the recently sacked ALFA Romeo designer Gerard Ducarouge to design a third all new car for 1983.

Lotus Ford 92, Silverstone Classic

In six weeks Ducarouge managed to design and deliver two new Lotus Renault T94’s and set in motion a return to winning ways for Team Lotus. The Lotus T92 recorded just 9 starts one for de Angelis in Brazil at the beginning of the season where he was disqualified for starting the race in the Cosworth powered car in which he had not set a qualifying time, after his Renault powered 93T broke down on the warm up lap and 8 starts for Mansell who along side his 6th place finish in Detroit recorded three 12th place finishes and four retirements, which was three more finishes than the Lotus Renault 93 T managed.

Lotus Ford 92, Silverstone Classic

The first photo show’s Mercedes Benz GP reserve driver Brendon Hartley at last years Goodwood Festival of Speed and the third show’s 92/5’s previous owner Kiwi Roger Wills at the wheel during the 2011 Silverstone Classic meeting.

My thanks to Roger for clarifying Brendon Hartley’s identity.

Thanks for joining me on this “Active Suspension” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Cruise Control & Central Locking – Lotus Type 89 Excel s.e.

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Last Saturday I looked at the prototype 1982 Lotus Excel today I’m looking at a couple of Lotus Excel s.e. models built with in months of each other.

Lotus Excel s. e., Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet

Between 1982 and 1987 numerous modifications were carried out which included the introduction of a louvred bonnet with body shell coloured bumpers and rear spoiler in 1984.

Lotus Excel s. e., Family Clubs Day, Castle Combe

In 1985 the wider wheel arch profiles, larger boot aperture, VDO intrumentation, front fog lights were introduced with a 15 inch road wheel option were introduced.

Lotus Excel s. e., Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet

For 1986 the s.e. option with raised engine compression and an adjustable steering column was announced.

Lotus Excel s. e., Family Clubs Day, Castle Combe

The S A Automatic option was launched for the 1987 model year with cruise control, central locking.

Lotus Excel s. e., Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet

Of the 400 plus Excels known to be in the UK, only one was ever built to US specification, more than half are no longer on the road.

Thanks for joining me on this “Cruise Control & Central Locking” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Cotswold Classic Car Club – Frogmill Andoversford

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Forgoing a New Years day hangover I a woke yesterday just in time to throw a bucket of water over my Golf and head down to Queen Square in Bristol where I met my friend Ted and his friend Ron with a few other Avenue Drivers Club regulars.

Ford, Queen Square Bristol

The meeting was not a regular Avenue Drivers Club event, they only happen on the second Sunday of every month the next one is scheduled for Sunday 13th. We were meeting with the intention of heading 40 miles north to the Frogmill Inn, Andoversford where the Cotswold Classic Car Club was having it’s annual New Years Day Meeting.

Scimitar GTE, Queen Square, Bristol

Ron led the way in his recently acquired 1972 Reliant Scimitar GTE Automatic.

Cotswold Classic Car Club, Frogmill, Andoversford

After a pleasant drive under unusual blue skies we arrived at Frogmill an hour ahead of the advertised time to find the car parks filled with a variety of veteran, vintage and classic vehicles.

Bristol 411, Frogmill, Andoversford

Some of them will be familiar to regular GALPOT readers like this Bristol 411 which I featured a couple of years ago.

Amphicar, Frogmill, Andoversford

This time last year the United Kingdom was preparing for a drought but the weather has since conspired to make 2012 the wettest since records began which should be good news for owners of amphibious vehicles like this Triumph powered 1967 Amphicar.

Invicta, Frogmill Inn, Andoversford

Amongst the vintage vehicles present was this Meadows powered 4.5 litre 1931 Invicta which would have been capable of 100mph when new.

Vauxhall Victor, Frogmill Inn, Andoversford

The 1961 Vauxhall Victor F type above was originally sold by Haines & Strange in Cheltenham, it spent 10 years in Switzerland before being found in a barn in the UK by it’s present owner in 1999. It has been undergoing restoration ever since.

Morris Marina 1.3 Coupé, Frogmill Inn, Andoversford

One of the stranger classics was at the meeting was this 1972 Morris Marina 1.3 Coupé, once a familiar sight on British roads and the subject of a fair amount of derision for rust among other issues. The Maurice Morihno Racing Team logo appears to be pointing further fun at the model examples of which were used in competition rally events back in the day.

Jaguar XK 140 FHC, Frogmill Inn, Andoversford

Signs are that this 1956 Jaguar XK140 FHC may have spent some time in the USA, the UCLA sticker on the back window being an obvious example.

Studebaker Commander, Frogmill Inn, Andoversford

This 1950 Studebaker Commander was only imported into the UK a couple of months ago it would appear to be powered by a 5.7 litre / 347 cui V8.

Wolseley 1500, Frogmill, Andoversford

This 1959 Wolseley 1500 is built on a Morris Minor floorplan and fitted with a larger motor and gearbox from the MG ZB.

Pontiac Firehawk, Frogmill Inn, Andoversford

According to it’s ‘Birth Certificate’ this manual Pontiac Firehawk Mapleleaf Transam was built on February 28th 1999 at LaSalle in Quebec with speedo reading in kilometers for the Canadian market, it’s capable of covering a quarter mile in 13.4 secs and has a restricted top speed of 160 mph.

Triumph Mayflower, Frogmill Inn, Andoversford

Conceived as a small car, same size as a Morris Minor, but following the styling queues of contemporary large Rolls Royce and Bentley models the Triumph Mayflower was aimed squarely at the US market, only 35,000 were built between 1949 and 1953 well below the targeted numbers.

Gilbern Genie, Frogmill Inn, Andoversford

Finally in the overflow car park I found this 1968 Gilbern Genie, built in Wales and powered by a 3 litre 183 cui Ford (Essex) V6 beneath the fibre glass bodywork the suspension is largely inherited from the MG B.

My thanks to Ted Walker for alerting me to the Cotswold Classic Car Club New Years Day meeting.

Thanks for joining me on this “Cotswold Classic Car Club” edition of “Gettin a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

PS Details of some of the vehicles seen at Frogmill can be seen on this link.

Turbo PKD – MG6 TSE GT Turbo

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The MG6 was announced by SIAC Motor, owners of the MG brand and much of the MG production facilities, which have been shipped from Longbridge, England to Pukou, Nanjing, China, in 2009.

Apart from sharing it’s front sub frame with the Rover 75 and MG ZT the MG6 design is a restyled version of the Roewe 550, the latter which is confusing rebadged as the MG 550 in Chile and is based on the MG Rover RDX60 project which was being developed when MG Rover went bankrupt in 2005.

In China two power units were initially available normally aspirated 133 hp and turbocharged 158 hp, in Britain only the 158 hp was initially available until a couple of weeks ago a 148 hp diesel was announced with vehicles already entering the UK dealership network.

Both the Stying and Engineering for the MG6 was carried out at the MG Motor UK Technical Centre in the UK.

Initially only the hatchback ‘GT’ body style was available but this has been joined by a conventional saloon / sedan known at the MG Magnette. The 2011 car seen here has the top of the range TSE trim option which includes 18″ alloy wheels instead of the standard 17″ items.

All MG6’s for the UK market are assembled from partial knockdown kits (PKD) at Longbridge in Birmingham where the last of the MG Rovers were built prior to the companies collapse.

It will be interesting to see how the MG Marque fares over the coming years, concepts for a smaller hatch back MG5 and super mini MG3 have already been made public and it obvious that SIAC are looking to build a long term future for the MG marque.

Wishing all GALPOT Readers and Contributors all the best in the year ahead !

Thanks for joining me on this “Turbo PKD” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Last British 2 Seat MG – MG TF

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When MG Rover face lifted the mid engined MG F sports car in 2002 they gave it the same TF name as last seen on the 1955 MG TF Midget. Little did they know at the time that this would become the last new British 2 seat MG to reach market.

Many of the face lift details were carried over from the MG TF XPower 500 Concept Car first seen at Le Mans in 2001.

Despite it’s overall styling which dated back to 1995 the MG TF matched it’s rivals from Mazda (MX5) and Toyota (MR2) in handling, performance and held it’s own in the domestic sales league.

However the TF’s mid mounted Rover K series motor was subject to numerous head gasket failures until a new multi layered item was designed which cured this particular issue.

Production of MG TF’s ceased when Rover MG went bankrupt in 2005 but restarted in the UK from Chinese supplied Complete Kockdown Kits (CKD) in 2008 after new owners Nanjing had transferred all the TF production assets to China. 906 CKD TF’s were built before production ceased for good in 2011.

Thanks for this “Last British 2 Seat MG” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Coffee, Croissant & Cars #7 – Avenue Drivers Club

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The festive spirit was gathering pace, at Queen Square, Bristol yesterday, no sooner had I arrived and I was being proffered charity mince pies ! Extremely delicious they were too !

MG NA Magnette, Avenue Drivers Club, Queen Square, Bristol

Among the many visitors to the Avenue Drivers Club meeting was what appears to be a 1934 MG K1 one of it’s club badges indicates that it may have spent some time in South Africa. 14 01 13 Further investigation has revealed this car is actually an NA Magnette.

The difference between a 1952 Riley RMA and 1952 Riley RME is indicated externally by the larger rear window of the later model which leads me to conclude the model seen here is the RMA.

Appearing to have come past just for a cruise around the block was this 1958 Ford Thunderbird.

These two Austin Healey Sprites were built in 1960 on the left and 1958 on the right.

The owner of this Ford Consul has only had the car for a couple of weeks, he told me he had owned many Mini’s before buying the four cylinder Ford.

This 1966 Morris 1800 has attended many of the same show’s I have this year, it was bought and prepared for a local classic Rally on a very small budget, running to hundreds rather than thousands of pounds.

One of the first cars to offer seeing round corner capability was the 1968 version of the Citroen DS that was first seen in 1955. This DS19 was built in 1972.

Another classic from 1972 was this Hillman Avenger fitted with what appear to be period correct aftermarket Cosmic alloy wheels.

Car of the day was this 1972 Crayford Ford Capri GT 3000, built in a period when Ford did not have time to satisfy a demand for convertible versions of it’s cars. Crayford took on the job fitting it with a white interior and walnut veneer.

When production of the Ford Capri ended in 1986 Ford left the massed produced Coupé market to the likes of Toyota and their Supra models the vehicles above were manufactured in 1989 on the left and 1992 on the right.

In 1990 I went to Connecticut for a week to attend a friends wedding, while I was there I hired a Ford Thunderbird similar to this 1992 example, I could not believe how big it was for a two door, at one point I found the car could carry 4 adults and two small children with a modicum of comfort from one side of town to the other !

Above another reminder that the season of Goodwill is upon us took the form of this Morris Marina Estate which dates from circa 1973.

Finding out about the Avenue Drivers Club has been one of this years simple joys for me, what could be easier or more fun than rolling 5 mins down a steep hill and finding yourself having a couple of hours of fun looking at some of the huge variety of veteran, vintage and classic cars that come from your environs and enjoying a Coffee & Croissant with some of the owners ? My thanks and seasons greetings to everyone who has brought their cars along. Next meeting January 13th 2013 !

Thanks for joining me on this “Coffee, Croissant & Cars #7″ of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Above another reminder the

Gettin' A Li'l Psycho On Tyres

Art Tidesco blogs on all things motoring

Tag Archives: Classic

Call Me Shirley – Shirley Mk II

Active Suspension – Lotus Ford T92 92/5

Cruise Control & Central Locking – Lotus Type 89 Excel s.e.

Cotswold Classic Car Club – Frogmill Andoversford

Turbo PKD – MG6 TSE GT Turbo

Last British 2 Seat MG – MG TF

Coffee, Croissant & Cars #7 – Avenue Drivers Club